打击传统文化和民间科学? ‘伪科学’说法 再掀科学界之争
● 于泽远(北京)由“中医是否科学”引发的争论仍在中国学界发酵。150多名学者近日签名要求在《科学普及法》中剔除“伪科学”的提法,原因是这种提法打击了中国传统文化和民间科学。
今年11月15日,中国科学院自然科学史所研究员宋正海通过电子邮件给几百名学者发出倡议信,题目是《不要让“伪科学”一词成为灭亡传统文化的借口》,号召学者们联合签名,废除“伪科学”的提法。
中南大学教授张功耀等人不久前建议中医“退出国家医疗体制,回归民间”,理由是中医的理论和实践经不起严谨的科学验证,属于“伪科学”。
张功耀“废除中医”的建议遭到上至国家卫生部、下至普通网民的强烈反对。一些反对者指责张功耀数典忘祖,甚至“卖国”。
今年10月,有“反伪斗士”之称的方舟子因指刘子华1939年提出的“八卦宇宙论”是“伪科学”、“骗局”,而被刘子华的后人告上法庭。结果北京市中级法院判方舟子败诉,并要求他公开书面致歉,赔偿2万元人民币(约4000新元)抚慰金。
方舟子败诉和张功耀遭谴为民间学者反击崇尚西方科学的主流学者提供了机会。这些民间学者认为,主流科学家动不动就拿“伪科学”的帽子压人,严重打击了民间学者的原创研究,使中华传统文化面临巨大挑战。
据《北京晨报》昨天报道,宋正海的倡议已得到150名学者的响应。其中包括中国社科院世界经济与政治所研究员孙振远、中科院高能物理所研究员刘易成等知名学者。
宋正海表示将尽快把这些签名的文件送到科技部有关领导。他说:“用西方科学体系的标准,打击一切其他非西方化的科学体系的成果,只能是让扎根于传统文化深厚土壤上的科技创新无立足之地。”
中国科技大学科学史与科技考古系教授李志超认为,现在学界使用“伪科学”这一名称过滥。有些学者反对“伪科学”,实际上是“学霸”的表现。
宋正海等人的倡议遭到主流科学家的强烈反对。中科院院士何祚庥前天得知这个消息后连说:“荒唐,真是很荒唐。”
何祚庥说:“签名的这些学者我们都比较了解,他们大多数都是支持伪科学的。他们实际上是为假冒的科学找借口。”
中国科普所原所长郭正谊也认为“废伪”是在为“伪科学”辩护。他说:“我认为‘伪科学’是指这样一些学说,它不是科学,但却打着科学的旗号招摇撞骗。比如之前闹过的‘水变油’、‘永动机’等,都打着最新科技成果的旗号,坑骗老百姓。对于这些,我们肯定要反对。”
北京大学一名社会学教授对本报指出,有关“伪科学”的争论不仅是“废除中医”争论的继续,也可以说是100多年来中学与西学争论的继续。
这名学者说,尽管中国知识分子早在五四时期就举起了民主、科学的大旗,但严格地说,直到今天这两个目标一个都没有实现。民主就不用说了,就是官方倡导的科学,也多是停留在口号里和课本中,并没有成为普通百姓的思维方式和生活习惯。
他认为:“在对科学的认识上,很多中国人仍需要启蒙。”
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What the fuck??!?!??! This is ridiculous. I mean, come on, for pointing out the obvious truth (i.e. traditional chinese medicine is NOT science), you get convicted in China??? Hey, dumb asses, if you value "traditional innovations", why don't you fucking go back to using bones to divine the future? Or feng shui. Or zi wei dou shu???? Oh, wait a minute......
No, this is not just ridiculous, but absurd to such an extent that other western countries like the United States would probably laugh at. Come on, the next thing you know, the Chinese will be asking their government to drop the teaching of evolution theory from their classes because it conflicts with the legends of pan gu and nu wo.... Oh wait a minute.........
This reminds me of the incident last year where I got a lot of flak for calling out on the non-scientific practices of traditional chinese medicine in Singapore.... I was basically bombarded left right and centre by everybody and anybody who claims that I have lost my cultural roots because I said Chinese medicine is not science. WTF. I always pride myself in being Chinese, and wasn't it Menicius who said something to the effect that one must always be critical of oneself in order to become a better person? Shouldn't the same principles be applied to our Chinese culture as well? Come on, if you are such a stickler for tradition, why don't we all go back to foot-binding, pig-tails, subjugation of women rights, infanticide if your first-born is not a male, three years of mourning for the death of one's parents, etc etc etc. You get my point. If we can make an improvement from these moral values, so why can't we do the same for our culture? Just because I deny traditional chinese medicine does not make me less chinese. I mean, I will rather be called a non-chinese than to perpetuate a fallacy that can at best waste a lot of resources, and at worst do much harm to people by denying them the right sort of treatments.
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